Philip Nickel to speak at Center for Humans & Technology event "Fitter, happier, more productive? The Science and Technology of Behavior Change"

09 September 2017

P&E Assistant Professor Philip Nickel will be a speaker at "Fitter, happier, more productive? The Science and Technology of Behavior Change,"a research meet on 25 Sept. organized by the Center for Humans & Technology.

Technology aimed at changing our behavior is everywhere. Just look around. Speed bumps and special signs in the streets try to make us drive more careful. Fitness apps aim to make us exercise more. Fake flies in men’s urinals to keep public toilets cleaner. Netflix recommendations try to persuade us to watch more programs. Seat-belt reminders stimulate us to buckle up. And software tries to prevent RSI with office workers.

In an era of Quantified Self, big data and Internet-of-Things, the reach and impact of technology on our lives is increasing exponentially. There is great promise in technologies that aim to change behaviors - technologies that help us to break bad habits, enhance our self-awareness, and help us lead lives that are healthier and safer, more productive, and, presumably, happier. However, visions of self-improvement and progress are also clouded by some nagging doubts about the world we are creating. The 1997 Radiohead song, referred to in the title of this event, already contains a veiled criticism of an overregulated life. There’s a fear that as personalized, user-sensitive technologies entangle with everyday life, we are pressed into a mold of model citizens living bland, data-driven lives, based on a rational collectivist notion of health, happiness and productivity. Is this the future we are designing for ourselves? Is this the future we want to live in?

Speakers include

Joyca Lacroix

Maurits Kaptein

Panos Markopoulos

Philip Nickel

And on top of this 6 PhD candidates will pitch their latest research insights!

When: 25 September, 13:00 – 17:30

Where: ‘Zwarte Doos’ at TU/e campus

Who: Researchers of TU/e and partners of the Center for Humans and Technology, including 4TU and the Vitality Academy

What: Research Meet ‘Fitter, happier, more productive? The Science and Technology of Behavior Change’, organized by the Center for Humans & Technology